Sometimes known as the Dog Fennel this is a foliage plant from south-eastern USA. Totally dissimilar to other members of this family it has wand-like 150cm stems clothed in filigree bright green foliage an emerald foil to more colourful perennials. Insignificant flowers appear in November. Hardy only in milder southern counties in sharply-drained soils.

Garden care: Mulch with straw or bracken over winter and cut down old stems to ground level in spring after the worst of the frosts. Growth appears like a green moss as late as May or even June. A few cuttings in early autumn act as an insurance against losses in a severe or wet winter.